1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a system for filling and closing fluid containing cartridges and, more particularly, to a system for filling reusable concentrate containing cartridges of the type used in a diluting and dispensing container for combining at least two separate components of a multi-component system, as illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,290,100 in the names of R. Bruce Yacko and Edward L. Mueller.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The filling process generally includes providing a supply of containers along a conveyer, filling the containers at a filling position, and closing the containers at a closing and capping position. This process may produce by separate and distinct filling and capping machines or may include a single or mono-block machine which conveys, fills and caps. Depending upon the structure, the conveying system may be a linear conveyor or may be a combination of a linear conveyor with a circular conveyor or turret. In the turret system, the containers are positioned at the filling and capping stations along the turret.
The method of filling and transporting or conveying is generally the function of the type and size of the container as well as the fill product. For liquids in wide mouthed containers, spilling during transport is a problem which must be addressed. There are many various solutions in the prior art to address this problem and they generally include different acceleration, deceleration cycles as well as velocity as the containers move between the various stations. Some products are filled bottom to top; others are filled from the top down. Thus, the vertical position of the filling nozzle must be continually adjusted for the type of product to be filled. Similarly, the vertical positions of the filling nozzle as well as the vertical position of the capper must be adjusted for various heights of containers. Since the prior art used mechanical drives for the filling and capping unit using cams and other linkages, a considerable amount of time was needed to readjust the machine for different types of fill product and containers.
The conveying system also includes cams, mechanical linkages, to determine the position of the containers on the conveyor. In the turret conveying system, industry has used an indexer which indexes twelve positions about the 360° of rotation of the turret. Thus, if more container pockets are to be included on the turret, the fill and capping position had to be adjusted with respect to the turret, or the diameter of the turret had to be increased to accommodate the positioning of the additional pockets. Again, this required mechanical modification of the machine for pocket locations whether it be the number of pockets or the size of the pockets. Thus, if the shape or diameter of the container changed, the turret itself or the location of the capping and filling devices had to be adjusted mechanically. Other stations may be provided along the path including a plug insertion device as well as a cap-tightening device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,488 discloses a filling and capping machine which can accommodate and adjust itself for various containers and fill product without substantial mechanical modification.
The machine includes a computer-controlled turret having a plurality of pockets for positioning a plurality of containers to at least a fill position and a capping position along the turret's path. The controller programmably positions the turret to these positions for variations of the locations of the pockets on the turret. This accommodates for variations in the size and number of the container pockets. The controller also programmably operates the turret at predetermined speeds for variations in the type of fill product and type of containers. The controller also controls the position of the filling unit for the type of fill product as well as controlling the positioning of the filling unit and the capping unit for variations in the type of container. The controller uses servomotors to position the turret, the filling unit and the capper. Preferably the vertical position of the filling unit and the capper are controlled by servomotors. The angular position of the capper to retrieve caps from a pickup position to a capping position is controlled by a fluid motor. Similarly, a plugging unit may be included and operated similarly to the capping unit, wherein the controller provides a servomotor for the vertical movement for the plugging unit and a fluid motor to rotate the plugging unit from its plug pickup position to its plugging position. A cap-tightening unit may also be provided along the path of the turret to tighten the caps initially started by the capping unit. The tightening unit is controlled vertically by a first motor and the twisting position by a second motor. The first motor is fluid and the second motor is a servomotor. A torque sensor is provided to control the twisting servomotor. The capping unit includes a second motor to twist the cap on during the vertical travel of the capping unit. A vacuum device is used for holding and releasing the cap and the plug. The servomotors are connected to the filling unit and the capping unit by ball and screw drives. The servomotor for the conveyor is connected through a gear reducer to extend the fineness of positioning and range of speeds of positioning of the turret.
It is an object of the present invention to produce a system for filling and closing fluid containing cartridges.
Another object of the invention is to produce a system for filling reusable cartridges with fluid concentrate, closing the filled cartridges, and discharging the filled cartridges.
Another object of the present invention is to produce a system for filling and closing fluid-containing cartridges wherein the filling and closing of the cartridges is automatically and simultaneously achieved.
The above objects may typically be achieved by a system for filling and closing fluent containing cartridges comprising a supply reservoir of cartridges having a hollow interior and a closure movable between an open and closed position; a filling station including means for conveying fluent material from a remote source and discharging the fluent material into the interior of the cartridge; a sealing station including means for causing the closure of the cartridge to move from an open position to a closed position; a discharge station including means for guiding the filled and sealed cartridges to a point of discharge from the system; and conveyor means for sequentially conveying cartridges from the supply reservoir to the filling station with the closure of the cartridge in an open position, thence conveying the cartridges filled with fluent material to the sealing station and causing the closure to be moved to a closed position sealing the fluent material therein, and finally conveying the sealed cartridges to the discharge station.